Mumbai not be the venue for Sachin Tendulkar's 200th Test

Sources within the BCCI have told NDTV that the Wankhede Stadium is not in contention, with the Eden Gardens in Kolkata the most likely venue for Sachin Tendulkar's 200th Test.

Written by NDTVSports

Read Time: 2 mins

Over the past few days, there have been reports that Sachin Tendulkar's landmark 200th Test will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in his hometown of Mumbai. However top sources within the BCCI have told NDTV that Mumbai is not even in contention to host a Test in the two-match series against the West Indies which is scheduled for November.

According to the BCCI's rotation policy for Test venues, Bangalore and Ahmedabad should host one game each in the two-Test series. It is understood that in all likelihood, the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore will get to host the first Test, while the Eden Gardens in Kolkata will receive the honour of hosting Sachin's 200th test. (Has Sachin's retirement become a national debate?)

This comes after the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and the interim chief of the BCCI, Jagmohan Dalmiya, placed a request to host Sachin's landmark Test in the city of joy. Sources within the Board also told NDTV that at the moment there is no request from the Mumbai Cricket Association to host Sachin's 200th Test.

CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey also pressed for Eden Gardens as the venue by stating that 'Sachin belongs to Kolkata as well'. "I understand Mumbai is keen to host the match as it could be his last Test at home, but Sachin belongs to the whole of India. We feel Eden Gardens will be the best stadium to host Sachin's 200th Test. After all, it has the biggest capacity across all venues (about 67,000 seats) in the country and also has an illustrious history," he said.